Major General (Retd) Robert Talbot Rice CBE has been appointed a non-Executive Director of SC Group, the UK headquartered engineering services company. The Group includes a number of international businesses including Supacat, SC Innovation, Proteum and Blackhill Engineering, whose products and services are used in sectors including defence, marine, energy and infrastructure.

Prior to retirement from a full career in the British Army, Major General Talbot Rice was the UK MoD Director Land Equipment, responsible for acquisition and support for much of the MoD’s land equipment. Before that he was UK MoD Head of Armoured Vehicles, in which role he was promoted to Major General in 2014.

Commissioned into the Welsh Guards in 1983, his operational service includes four tours in Northern Ireland; command of the British Battlegroup in Bosnia; and tours on the staff in Kosovo (in Headquarters KFOR) and Iraq (in General Petraeus’s headquarters as the chief liaison officer to the Iraqi Ministry of Defence).

He is a Chartered Director, and a Fellow of both the Institute of Directors and of the Institution of Engineering and Technology; and is a graduate of the Said Business School/Cabinet Office Major Projects Leadership Academy.

On his appointment to SC Group, Robert said: “I am very pleased indeed to be joining the SC Group Board, and much look forward to working with the other Board members to steer this successful and well regarded company through the years ahead”.

Nick Ames, Chief Executive of SC Group, said, “We are delighted to welcome Robert to the board. His wisdom and experience from leading from the top of the British Army, combined with his astute management skills in delivering complex procurement programmes, will be invaluable assets to the whole Group”.

Andrew Burrows, an apprentice with Exeter based heavy engineering specialist, Blackhill Engineering, has won Apprentice of the Year at the Made in the South West Awards. The prestigious event hosted by South West Insider Media showcases and celebrates excellence in the diverse manufacturing industries across the region.

David Clensy, Editor of South West Business Insider magazine, said: “The judges were extremely impressed by Andrew Burrows. The apprentice fabricator welder is spoken of very highly by his team, being described as an “all-round outstanding apprentice”. They noted that he flew through his weld coding test first time which means the company can give him any task and they say he’s proven that no task is beyond him. Congratulations to Andrew – it’s great to have the opportunity to celebrate the hard work of one of the region’s young apprentices in this year’s Made in the South West awards.”

As one of the winners of this year’s awards Andrew will automatically go through to the grand final Made in the UK Awards where the best of British manufacturing will be celebrated.

Blackhill Engineering is part of SC Group, and handles large and complex fabrication and machining projects for customers across multiple sectors including marine, automotive, defence, oil & gas, renewables and nuclear. Its delivery of a 650 tonne steel fabrication contract for the jetty at Hinkley Point C (HPC), which Andrew also worked on, earned Blackhill Engineering two EDF Energy Hinkley Point C Excellence Awards for the Supply Chain – Best Local/Regional Business and Best Manufacturing Equipment Supplier.

Lizzie Jones, Director of SC Group, who attended the Awards, said: “We are thrilled for Andrew, it’s a fantastic achievement. The company recognises that the future of the business depends on the next generation progressing so we invest in apprenticeships. We look forward to supporting Andrew throughout his development to achieve his goal of qualifying as an engineer”.

Beta Marine has enhanced its marine generator product range with the addition of Moteurs Baudouin engines to expand its offering to a global customer base.   Gloucester UK based Beta Marine, which has over 30 years’ experience producing and marketing marine diesel propulsion engines and generating sets, has selected Proteum as its engine supplier. Marine Services company Proteum, is the UK & Ireland distributor for Moteurs Baudouin and a range of other marine diesel engines.

Proteum received its first order from Beta Marine in July for eight Baudouin 4W105S OEM auxiliary engines which have been delivered to a key export customer for four new build vessels. Beta Marine is offering Baudouin powered marine generating sets in varying kVA that are heat exchanger cooled as standard with keel and radiator cooling available as an alternative.

“Baudouin’s engines are renowned for their reliability and low operational and through life costs and adding them to our marine generator range has already allowed us to meet a specific need from a customer. We have built a good relationship with Proteum who can support us both in terms of supply and with high quality technical services”, said Radus Lungu, Sales Manager, Beta Marine.

Chris Lambert, Business Development Manager, Proteum, said, “Being selected by Beta Marine is a significant endorsement for both Proteum and Baudouin engines. Beta Marine’s reputation and global network open up new market opportunities for Baudouin’s marine generator sets”.

Moteurs Baudouin has produced engines since 1918 serving the marine and industrial markets. Its products are distinguished by their genuine marine design, offering quality, adaptability and reliability. The production facility in Cassis, France, has Bureau Veritas ISO 9001 certification and their marine products have type approvals from most major marine classifications societies. They have developed advanced emissions technology and can offer IMO III and EPA IV compliance on some of their larger models.

Supacat, part of SC Group, is an innovative engineering and design company providing global, defence focused products and services with offices in the UK and Australia.

Supacat is committed to partnering with Australian industry and is delivering development, production and support programs with Australian partners under the Supacat Team Australia banner.

As part of Supacat’s corporate social responsibility program Australian Managing Director, Michael Halloran has been active in seeking ways in which the company can work with Australian initiatives designed to support service and ex-service personal.

Supacat is thrilled to officially announce their support of Trojans Trek and their endeavours to rebuild the well-being and mental health of veterans who have been adversely affected by their service.

An introduction was made between Trojans Trek Chairman, Moose Dunlop OAM and Mr Halloran and it was soon discovered that a collaboration between the two organisations would be would be a great fit. Following the initial discussions, Mr Dunlop travelled to Sydney to attend Supacat’s Annual Dinner on 24^th October and share the story of Trojan’s Trek with government representatives in defence, partners and customers of Supacat.

Michael Halloran, Supacat Managing Director said “When we set out to find a veteran’s charity to focus our support on, I was amazed to discover that there were 3,200 veteran based charities in Australia. When we came across Trojan’s Trek, we felt immediately that we were on common ground. Their approach to outdoor peer support simply made sense. Trojan’s Trek has largely flown under the radar, because they have put all of their focus on the outcomes of what they do. They have had great results with minimum support, and we hope that with Supacat’s support they can provide that support to anyone that needs it.”

“Of course, the challenges of mental health and wellbeing go beyond the impacts of PTSD that Trojan’s Trek primarily supports. We see these challenges in our own business and ultimately we believe that this collaboration will be beneficial for our own staff as well.”

UK military vehicle developer, Supacat and parent SC Group, have been awarded the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Silver Award, which acknowledges employers who have provided exceptional support to the armed forces community and defence by going above and beyond their covenant pledges.

Nick Ames, Chief Executive of SC Group, and Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat received the Silver Award on 4 October from the Lord Lieutenant of Devon, David Fursdon, supported by his Deputy Lord Lieutenants, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope GCB, OBE, DL, and Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Ridgeway KCB CB DL, Commanding Officers of 6 RIFLES and 165 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC, the High Sheriff and other Civic dignitaries.  The Lord Lieutenant also formally appointed a number of cadets representing each of the three Armed Services to accompany him on his official duties

The Silver Award is bestowed to organisations meeting specific criteria, which include proactively demonstrating that service personnel and the armed forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruiting and selection processes. Supacat employs many former service personnel and reservists who continue to serve their country and also regularly supports activities on behalf of the armed forces community.  The Awards scheme recognises the different levels of commitment provided by employers and allows the Ministry of Defence to publicly thank and honour those organisations for their support.

Earlier this year Supacat re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant, affirming its pledge to uphold the Covenant.  This is a promise by the nation, enshrined in UK law, to those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, that they are treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives.

On receiving the award, Phil Applegarth said, “We delighted that our commitment to supporting the armed forces has been recognised with the Silver Award and are very proud to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant. It was a pleasure for us to witness the next generation of the Armed Forces attending this prestigious event and how the Cadet organisation provides an important pathway for individual development”.

Since the launch of the Supacat HMT Light Weight Recovery (HMT LWR) vehicle at DSEi in September 2017 the prototype vehicle has been undergoing trials both by Supacat at its test facility and by CSS TDU (Combat Service Support Trials & Development Unit). The trials have identified areas with potential for further capability gains and enhancement to the original specification. The next phase of development trials will start in October 2018 and will continue throughout 2019.

The 10.5 tonne HMT Light Weight Recovery (HMT LWR) has been developed to fill a capability gap to recover vehicles operating in hard to access urban and rural locations as required by the UK MoD’s Light Weight (Air Portable) Recovery Capability (LW(AP)RC) programme.

The 6×6 HMT LWR offers high levels of agility, off-road performance and protection in common with Supacat’s High Mobility Transporter (HMT) family, which includes `Jackal` and `Coyote` now within UK MoD’s Core Fleet. HMT LWR utilises many HMT design features such as the variable height air suspension system, engine and drive line that have been battle proven in numerous theatres. Blast and ballistic protection has been built into the chassis providing the optimum protection for its weight of 10.5 tonnes.

HMT LWR utilises an innovative new Supacat designed technology, `Supalift` (patent pending), which increases the size of vehicles that can be recovered by a light weight recovery vehicle. HMT LWR’s recovery system can be operated both in conventional mode and by the operator engaging `Supalift`, which increases the maximum lifting weight of the recovery system by up to 50%. In conventional mode the HMT LWR recovery system lifts a maximum recovered vehicle axle mass of 3.8 tonnes and in `Supalift` mode rises to 6.1 tonnes (specification based on recovering an HMT 400 `Jackal 2`).   `Supalift` technology is based on the principle of distributing the weight of the casualty vehicle more evenly over the recovery vehicle.

Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat, said, “We are very excited by the potential of this pioneering vehicle. The HMT platform has proven itself as the vehicle of choice for modern fighting forces and we look forward to the successful delivery of this latest addition to the HMT family. It will be a game-changer in extending the lifting capability of recovery systems for defence and other industry sectors.”

Designed by Supacat, the HMT product is manufactured under licence from Lockheed Martin.

UK special operations vehicle developer, Supacat, is displaying its HMT 600 tactical support vehicle, best known as `Coyote`, in an anti-UAV defence role for the first time at DVD. It will be installed with AUDS (Anti-UAV defence system), the only operationally proven counter drone system, supplied by Chess Dynamics and the AUDS Team.

In November an AUDS mounted `Coyote` will participate in `Autonomous Warrior- the 2018 Army Warfighting Experiment’, which will test how Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) can be exploited in the Land Environment and assess their ability to reduce the danger to troops during combat.

“This is a further example of the flexibility of the HMT platform, which can be reconfigured to integrate the latest technology and enhance capability for our armed forces on the modern battlefield,” said Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat.

The Coyote mounted AUDS is the latest collaboration in a long standing relationship between Supacat and fellow UK SME, Chess Dynamics, and demonstrates the agility of both UK companies in coming together to deliver battle ready solutions that fill a capability gap.

“We are both innovative, high technology British SMEs of similar size and geared to responding at speed to customer requirements. We both build world beating products in Britain that are successful abroad, making exports a central focus for our businesses”, said Applegarth.

AUDS is in service with the US forces in both its field mast configuration and has also been installed on Stryker vehicles. It has over 700 confirmed “kills” and has been on continuous combat operations since it deployed almost 2 years ago. It is designed to disrupt and neutralise unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) engaged in hostile airborne surveillance and potentially lethal activity.

UK creator of high mobility vehicles, Supacat, is announcing the modernisation programme of its highly successful All Terrain Mobility Platform (ATMP) at DVD 2018. The original vehicle has been in service with the UK MOD, foreign militaries and other non-defence sectors since the early 80’s and remains the reliable, flexible and capable workhorse that it was designed to be. The vehicle is undergoing a modernisation programme to initially manage obsolescence issues whilst also supporting the future hybrid development and automisation of the platform.

 

The ATMP can carry a substantial payload of 1600kg which, combined with its “go anywhere” ethos, has made it the vehicle of choice for many years. Already proven on a variety of military and humanitarian operations in locations such as the Gulf, the Falklands, Bosnia, Kosovo, Canada, Malaysia and Afghanistan, the ATMP can be transported within or underslung below a range of air platforms providing instant mobility support for light forces on the ground.

The modernisation programme will involve updating the engine and drive train whilst also managing legislative requirements and Human-Machine Interface. It will also integrate a hybrid drive train into the platform. Supacat and the University of Exeter are working together as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership to develop the alternative drive solution, and have made good progress. Matthew Harvey of the University of Exeter comments, “The Knowledge Transfer Partnership is an exciting opportunity for us to use the latest academic research in industry to improve and modernise what is already a hugely successful vehicle. It is fantastic to work with a company like Supacat who have a huge wealth of experience and a really agile approach to engineering.”

After delivering 89 special operations vehicles (SOV) to the Australian Army, Supacat is looking to sell its family of High Mobility Transporter (HMT) vehicles into other markets.

Managing director of Supacat, Michael Halloran, told DTR that the focus is now on exports. “We want to go into Asia. We think there are good opportunities in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and maybe Thailand.”

In an era where combat vehicle dimensions and weight seem to be on an upward curve, the modest size of the HMT Extenda Mk 2 and a maximum weight of 10.5 tonnes make them well suited to the complex terrain and compromised infrastructure common throughout much of the South East Asian region.

The HMT Extenda Mk 2 was designed as, and remains, the most capable cross-country wheeled vehicle in its class. The unique suspension design along with the balanced arrangement of the vehicle, maximises the traction that is available from each wheel, providing high cross-country mobility.

Ease of operation, design flexibility and versatility also opens up the potential for the HMT Extenda Mk 2 for use in undertaking a range of roles within armies which may not have top tier fleet sustainment resources.

Running in parallel with the export push is an interest in promoting the other roles which the HMT Extenda Mk 2 can perform other than special operations missions.

“What the Australian Army now has in its inventory in the SOV-Commando is an incredibly versatile platform, and we need to get people to understand that so we can start thinking about applications for the vehicle outside special forces,” Mr Halloran said.

To illustrate this point, Supacat has mounted an Elbit Cardom 81mm mortar pack on the rear cargo bed of a 4×4 HMT Extenda Mk 2. This will be on display at the Land Forces 2018 defence exhibition in early September in Adelaide.

“If you think of the spectrum of capabilities,” Mr Halloran said, “we go from a platform with a mortar on the back through to the lightweight recovery vehicle at the top end, and everything else in between.”

The 6×6 version of the HMTExtenda Mk 2 are particularly well suited to undertake additional roles, with a 4m long rear cargo bed (extendable to 4.8m) and 3,474kg payload providing the potential to mount mission modules, weapon systems or transport cargo.

Examples of 6×6 protected cab and open design variants at the concept/prototype stage include a light recovery vehicle and a tractor with rear cargo bed.

Proteum, part of SC Group, has recently supplied three 150HP OXE Diesel outboard engines to power a new workboat for operations on the River Thames. The UK marine distributor has supplied the engines to Landing Craft UK (LCUK), safety and workboat specialists, who built the landing craft for GPSM DiveCo Ltd.

A diesel outboard was required on safety grounds as the landing craft will work alongside Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) jetties and also because the supply of petrol on the Thames is becoming increasingly limited. The OXE Diesel is the first approved high performance diesel outboard and was selected as the best in class.

Tony Kortens, MD of Landing Craft UK Ltd, said, “The OXE is faultless; the smoothness; power; and thrust of the engines are amazing. We can achieve speeds of 20 knots in a boat that weighs in excess of ten tonnes. The OXE’s excellent fuel economy shows with all three engines running to their maximum we have a fuel burn of 90 litres per hour which is phenomenal”.

Jeremy Paul, General Manager of Proteum, said, “Commercial operators have been wanting a high performance diesel outboard for a very long time to benefit from diesel’s lower maintenance and longer service life. OXE has solved this need, proved its reliability and is ready to go!”

In addition to workboats, the OXE diesel is suitable for coastal fishing, aquaculture, ferry operations, survey work, emergency services and other security and defence related operations.

Diesel has a higher working efficiency than petrol and OXE uses up to 40% less fuel than a modern 150HP 4-Stroke Outboard. The OXE also has an extended range, significantly increasing operational time between refuelling.